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[Joan Deutsch]

A friend said she saw two girls riding down the side of a road in the South Sound area while texting on their horses! I've had a few phone conversations with my ear piece while riding on the trails. I've also used the time to practice some speeches I was going to give. I figure I better run them by my horse first. The most important thing, though, is to stay focused on riding your horse. Inattention can lead to big trouble. I remember Greg Eliel talking about this issue in a clinic. He had watched two women chatting away while one of the horses went into a contortion to try to scratch his ear. He was amazed that the rider didn't pay a bit of attention to what the horse was doing.

[kriss10]

I have taken flash cards and studied for tests. I have talked and texted on my phone. I have eaten lunch, and my favorite when I was a kid, was to grab a pomegranite and eat that when we were out riding.

[OGM]

Although it was probably 30 years ago we did ride through the drive through at a local McDonalds. (of course the next time they made me tie him up)

[puddleplasher]

I've picked berries. My horse doesn't seem to mind as long as I share them with her.

'plash

[4h-mom]

My daughters and I have all done the riding and texting/phoning thing. In fact my oldest called me a few weeks ago while driving her boss' mini down the road. My youngest and her friends have taken their horses to Burger King in Arlington. The cops think it's funny but did warn them that there's a fine if the horses poop in town and they don't clean it up.

[kriss10]

As a kid it wasn't uncommon to ride through the drive thru of the burger place or the dairy (yes, a drive thru dairy) - it was so common I never thought that it was not normal. It was also common to run to the grocery store for my mom to pick up a few things. Plastic bags would have been pretty handy back then. It was even common to take the gas can on saturday mornings to get gas for the lawn mower.

[Joan Deutsch]

Texting as a dangerous distraction is in the news again. A Seattle researcher even commented about having seen someone texting while on horseback. Are you texting riders still at it? I sometimes look at my email while waiting at a stoplight, but I try to be aware as I've had a few close calls with bikes flying down the sidewalk.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019892279_distracted13m.html

[horsepeople2001]

not like we can plug the phone into the horse and do it hands free! I talk on the phone/text/drink not if I am going to drive after, all while riding my horse, take videos/ pictures.I some times sing and have played tag in the past on horse back. I am pretty sure the horse isn't going to run into some thing on the trail.

[4HMom]

My daughters do a lot more nutty things than I do. Especially just to annoy each other or the horses. My older daughter likes to ride up on my horse's butt cause she knows it makes Rusty angry and then she humps her butt (her version of a buck). She also used to race her younger sister who was riding a horse that knew voice commands. She'd call out "Whoa!" and her sister's horse would slam on the brakes

[kriss10]

I never text and drive - just asking for trouble and a ticket. I love that my new truck has built in bluetooth. I am less likely to text and ride since getting a smart phone. It was a lot easier with a dumb phone and a full keyboard, and I prefer the misspelings to the autocorrect changing the meaning of the message...